Town's New Banner Sends Message Of Hope To Community

SOUTHOLD, NY — Southold officials have a message for community members who have been spending weeks in quarantine after the new coronavirus hit the town hard: "We are one. United we stand."

A new banner with those words has been erected outside Southold Town Hall on Main Road.

According to Southold Town Deputy Supervisor Jill Doherty, the goal was to provide a message of strength.

"We have been talking about what a great community we live in — how, no matter what our differences are, or what our beliefs, in times of crisis, we are all one. We all want the same things — to be healthy, happy and secure. And we want it for everyone."

When the coronavirus crisis hit, Doherty said, the town pulled together, from front line hospital workers to police and first responders, firefighters, civic groups, local businesses, essential workers, and the restaurant owners, who tirelessly delivered meals to the heroes at work saving lives.

"No one had to be asked. They just went the extra mile from day one," Doherty said.

Doherty also noted that Southold Town's Human Resources Center, helmed by director Karen McLaughlin, has delivered 11,000 meals to seniors since the pandemic hit.

Southold Town's government liaison officer Denis Noncarrow and Loyd Reisenberg, the town's assistant deputy emergency preparedness coordinator, worked with Doherty on the banner, which was made at East End Sporting Goods; Doherty said she picked up the banner from the shed in back with an eye toward social distancing protocols.

On March 8, the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Suffolk County was reported in Southold Town. As of Thursday, there were 327 confirmed cases townwide.

For information on Southold Town's coronavirus response, click here.